VIOLET POV
I woke up weak and tired. Opening my eyes, I let out a loud yawn, the back of my palms covering my mouth. The last thing I recalled was Mason lifting me up. I still couldn't remember how that had happened.
"Are you feeling better?" I jerked my head, surprised to find my grandmother sitting beside me, her eyes staring attentively at me. How long had she been there?
"A bit tired," I yawned again. "What happened to me?" I managed to ask, now pulling my body into a sitting position.
"I think you were tired. You fainted at the pack house." Her lips pursed and I knew she had more to say. "You need rest," she added, yet I was convinced those weren't the words on her mind.
"You need to stop exerting yourself." She stretched her hands to my forehead, checking my temperature, then placed a thermometer into my mouth and brought it out.
"I know," I murmured, my eyes now heavy with dizziness as they fluttered.
"You know," she scoffed, "you know you should stay away from Mason, I believe?" She asked, but it was more or less an order, one I heard too often.
I shut my eyes and let out a deep sigh. I could feel her fingers wrapped around my palm.
"You know it's all for your good in the end. Mason isn't what he appears to be. He's a ruthless person. He has a strong wolf that can scent the littlest oddity. Don't let yourself become a spectacle," Grandma Charlotte sighed, and I felt a pang of guilt for letting her down.
I opened my eyes and stared straight at her. "I've heard everything you've said, Grandma." I paused. I wanted so bad to tell her I really wasn't at fault and that fate was playing a cruel game, but I bit my lips instead.
"I'll do my best to stay away from him. Besides, after the ball, I won't have any more reasons to be around him," I said reassuringly, throwing a faint smile at her as I watched her expression soften.
"I love you, little one," Grandma Charlotte said before placing a kiss on my forehead and leaving me to my thoughts.
*********
Everything came back now in a flash. Why did I have to keep on countering my promises, especially the ones I really meant? Now I felt guilty. Again.
Glancing passively at new faces and admiring my work while I tried to hide my anxiety, my eyes fell on Rhoda and a very familiar expression welcomed me: anger. I gulped. Even when I looked away, I could still feel her glaring at me. Was she always angry? I found myself wondering and it was then I decided to nickname her Angry Bird.
"Violet?" He said, waving his hands in my face. I looked up at the root of my present problems.
How on earth do I tell him off nicely? I wondered. What if I said I didn't want to dance with him and I got on his blacklist? He didn't seem that way, but... And secondly, he was an Alpha. A dance was a small request, right? I found myself asking similar questions, my mind full of contemplation.
Or maybe I should tell him I'm tired, I thought. Luckily for me, I didn't have to say much.
"Good evening, Alpha. I must say this shade flatters your eyes," it was Grandma Charlotte smiling brightly at Mason, who glowed at the compliment.
"You look pretty yourself, Charlotte. I was just asking your granddaughter here if she would dance with me," he said, and I was impressed he cared enough to tell my grandmother.
"She'll love to, but after the incident from earlier on, the doctor ordered her to be on bed rest," Grandma Charlotte said in a regretful voice.
"Bed rest? What is she then doing here?" He asked my grandmother, his voice a bit confused but his eyes on me, watching me closely like a hawk.
"Well, you know how stubborn she is. She insisted on coming here to see how her work looked with everything set properly." He nodded at her statement in agreement and smiled at me.
I had to stop myself from laughing. How on earth did she come up with such a genius lie and at her age too?
"See you around, Violet, and get well soon." With a small salute, he sauntered away.
"That was close," I finally said, my shoulders suddenly slumping into a more natural position.
"I'll keep a close eye on you," she warned.
Suddenly, as if my body was trying to punish me for lying, I felt a pressure build up in my throat as though something was struggling to find its way out. I was nauseous. My head began to feel light and my vision slowly turned into sepia. I groaned inwardly but then again I couldn't blame myself. I was pregnant after all.
"Are you okay?" Grandma Charlotte was now by my side, her hands placed firmly against my back for support.
"Mhmm, excuse me. I feel a bit sick, dizzy too." With that, I hurriedly went into the bathroom where I threw up. My stomach churned as soon as I was done and I walked slowly to the tap where I reached for tissue to clean up the stains around my mouth.
Heading towards the exit, I had barely reached for the door handle when I felt my body slam against the cold tiled walls. It was done so fast that I could barely make out what was happening. Tossing the hair away from my face, my eyes locked with Rhoda's.
"Rhoda?" I muttered.
"Rhoda?" She repeated, mimicking me before she rolled her eyes.
"Listen, bitch, I'm not going to beat around. I know the game you're playing and like others who have attempted to do the same, you'll probably fail too. So, stay away from Mason," Rhoda sneered.
My heart was thumping wildly, not from fear but anger. How dare she! No way was I going to let her get away with this. I could also be a bitch.
"It's a wonder since I'm not even trying. Imagine what would happen if I tried. Save your little pep talk for your man. You've been in this pack longer than I and yet you're the most insecure bitch I've ever seen," I said in a low teasing voice I knew would infuriate her further.
"Shut up!" Rhoda snarled, banging her fist against the wall, her face now only a few inches away from mine.
In one swift gesture, her long arms moved quickly in the air and her fingers wrapped around my throat. Now I was scared. She held my neck tight so that I had to gulp in air through my mouth.
"Listen here, you little stupid ass bitch. Run your mouth while you can because you may not have much longer to do so, else you'll be joining your likes and by likes, I mean people who tried to take Mason away from me. Unfortunately for them, they're six feet under. I'm sure you won't want to join them," she smirked triumphantly, satisfied with my wide-eyed expression as I stared at her in dismay.
"And trust me, my love, you're no exception." She was serious. Her smirk was now replaced with a deep frown as her eyes darkened.
I gulped again, too stunned to run my mouth. Something in her dark comment told me it wasn't an empty threat. This wasn't the time to make sassy comebacks or sarcastic comments. She was serious.